The Conversation

'Joker' fans flocking to a Bronx stairway highlights tension of media tourism

Written by Laura M. Holzman, Associate Professor, Public Scholar of Curatorial Practices and Visual Art, IUPUI

New York’s newest tourist attraction isn’t a museum, park or art installation.

It’s a stairway.

Sandwiched between apartment buildings in the Bronx, it’s been dubbed by moviegoers the “Joker Stairs,” earning its name and fame after being featured prominently in “Joker.” Since the film’s release,...

DeVos' formula for success: Trash public schools and push privatization

Written by Bryan Alexander, Senior Scholar, Learning, Design and Technology, Georgetown University

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wipes her brow during an October 2017 appearance in Bellevue, Washington.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

When U.S Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos discussed the results from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress, she described them as “devastating” and part of a worsening crisis in education.

T...

Yes, the research confirms: Managers shouldn't sleep with subordinates

Written by Vanessa K. Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University

Workplace relationships can be trouble. Estrada Anton/Shutterstock.com

U.S. Rep. Katie Hill recently stepped down after information about an affair with a campaign staffer, and allegations of one with a congressional staffer, came to light.

The second affair would violate the House of Representatives’ recent ban on sexual relationships between...

California wildfires signal the arrival of a planetary fire age

Written by Stephen Pyne, Emeritus Professor, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Wind whips embers from a tree burned by a wildfire in Riverside, Calif. Oct. 31, 2019. AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu

Another autumn, more fires, more refugees and incinerated homes. For California, flames have become the colors of fall.

Free-burning fire is the proximate provocation for the havoc, since its ember storms are engulfing landscapes. But in...

McDonald's fired its CEO for sleeping with an employee – research shows why even consensual office romances can be a problem

Written by Vanessa K. Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University

More workplaces are banning employee relationships.AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

McDonald’s ousted its CEO over a consensual relationship with an employee, just a week after U.S. Rep. Katie Hill stepped down due to a similar allegation.

Both McDonald’s and the House of Representatives ban sexual relationships between supervisors and employees.

Wh...

Why doesn't the US just send Anne Sacoolas back to the UK? Here's what's at stake in this dispute over diplomatic immunity

Written by David Banks, Professorial Lecturer of International Politics, American University School of International Service

The parents of Harry Dunn spoke at a press conference in New York on October 14.AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

The U.S. and U.K. are engaged in an international dispute about the right to diplomatic immunity.

On August 27, 2019, Anne Sacoolas, wife of a U.S. diplomat resident in the U.K., allegedly struck and killed a British motorcyclist, Harry Dunn, when...

Don't make intimate violence victims look for help -- research shows they fare better when police and community organizations coordinate assistance

Written by Anne DePrince, Professor of Psychology, University of Denver

Intimate violence victims fare better with coordinated help.Shutterstock, photo illustration by Dragana Gordic

Michelle Monson’s story, reported by Rachel Louise Snyder in “No Visible Bruises,” is a haunting tale of intimate violence and missed opportunities.

Michelle tried to escape her husband’s abuse. She tried to get...

What really causes home field advantage – and why it's on the decline

Written by Konstantinos Pelechrinis, Associate Professor of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh

The Washington Nationals celebrate their World Series win in front of fans of the Houston Astros.AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Never before has the away team won every single game in the World Series, but that’s exactly what happened this year.

When the Washington Nationals won Game 7 in Houston to clinch the series against the Houston Astros, it...

Cada vez más universidades en EEUU rechazan los examenes estandarizados para admitir alumnos

Written by Joseph Soares, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest University

¿Por qué debemos requerir un examen que está sesgado contra los jóvenes de bajo ingreso, las mujeres y los afrodesciendientes?Shutterstock.com

Erase una vez, en 1980, que Bates College y Bowdoin College eran prácticamente los únicos colegios de artes liberales en Estados Unidos que no requerían a los...

Website privacy options aren't much of a choice since they're hard to find and use

Written by Hana Habib, Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Software Research, Carnegie Mellon University

If only it were as easy as pushing a button.REDPIXEL.PL/Shutterstock.com

You’ve probably encountered a pair of shoes that won’t stop following you around the internet, appearing in advertisements on different sites for weeks.

Today, the vast majority of advertising is targeted – that is, you see an ad because an advertiser thinks...